Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809, in Hardin County Kentucky. Both of his parents were born in Virginia. They were born to very well distinguished families. Both of Lincoln's parents died when Lincoln was very young. His father died when he was eight and his mother died when he was ten years old. Lincoln grew up in Indiana, which was a very rugged area at the time, with many bears and wild animals in the woods next to the place that Lincoln lived. Through Lincoln's growing process he somehow could read and write. He made extraordinary efforts so that he could obtain knowledge; he did this while working very hard for his family on the farm. During his adolescence, Lincoln was growing strong and tall, he quickly became the best local athlete in Indiana, he was also very good in the art of storytelling. Abraham always had a burning desire to learn, he would travel over the countryside so that he could borrow books. Among the books that he read were Robinson Crusoe, Pilgrim's Progress, Aesop's Fables, William Grimshaw's History of the United States, and Mason Weems' Life of Washington. The only book that his family owned was the Bible, Lincoln was well-versed in the Holy Book and it will show later on in his writings. When Lincoln grew up to be a man, he became a captain in the Black Hawk War, but he never saw any action. His friend, Stuart had encouraged him to study law. He decided to do it, he worked hard at it and received a license on September 9, 1836. He then moved to Springfield and became Stuart�s partner in business, he also had put forth the efforts to pay off his debts, and this had earned him the nickname, "Honest Abe." His partner said of Lincoln that, "His ambition was a little engine that knew no rest." Lincoln ended up marrying a woman by the name of Mary Todd, she was a high-spirited, quick-tempered girl of excellent education and cultural background. Throughout their marriage they had been blessed with the birth of four boys, but sadly only one of them lived long enough to be a man. Lincoln was a Illinois Congressman before he ran for the Presidenct of the United States of America. |
